1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to transmission turbo machine which integrates drive units and/or driven units into a machine train via a transmission, wherein the integrated transmission substantially comprises a central large wheel with a shaft and a plurality of pinions with pinion shafts, wherein the large wheel is operatively connected to the pinions, and the ends of the pinion shafts are operatively connected to a drive unit and/or driven unit, wherein the shaft of the large wheel is operatively connected to a drive unit and/or driven unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multistage transmission turbo machine with integrated transmission and with drive units and/or driven units is described in EP 1 691 081 B1. Drive units and/or driven units are compressors, steam turbines, gas turbines, motors, generators and expanders. On the one hand, the arrangement of these units in the same horizontal plane is particularly advantageous. On the other hand, the presence of a large wheel and an additional drive pinion allows a large number of options to be integrated for the drive units and/or driven units that can be used. Machine trains according to EP 1 691 081 B1 constructed in the manner described above are known from in-house practice, but have drawbacks with respect to the expanders which may be optionally incorporated. Arrangements of this kind merely comprise radial expanders; but it is disadvantageous that the volume flows that can be realized are limited so that the structural possibilities of radial expanders are limited by the structural sizes that can be implemented. Apart from radial expanders whose structural volumes are too large for the machine train, even radial expanders within the range of the structural limit have the disadvantage of higher material costs because expensive high-alloyed materials, and often also double-shell housing arrangements, are required a priori. Owing to limited geometries, particularly relating to the large wheel, the structural volume for the units of the machine train of a transmission turbo machine and, therefore the processing of ever higher volume flows, are limited.